[PCA] Public Comment and Draft Recovery Plan for the Spring Creek Bladderpod (LESQUERELLA PERFORATA)

[Patricia_DeAngelis at fws.gov]

----- Forwarded by Patricia De Angelis/ARL/R9/FWS/DOI on 09/13/2005 09:16
AM -----

http://epa.gov/EPA-SPECIES/2005/September/Day-12/
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[Federal Register: September 12, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 175)]
[Notices]
[Page 53808-53809]
>From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12se05-66]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service

Notice of Availability of a Technical Agency Draft Recovery Plan
for the Endangered Spring Creek Bladderpod (Lesquerella perforata) for
Review and Comment

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of document availability and opening of public comment
period.

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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the availability
of the technical agency draft recovery plan for the Spring Creek
bladderpod (Lesquerella perforata). This species is endemic to the
Central Basin in Tennessee. It is currently known from only three
watersheds (Spring Creek, Bartons Creek, and Cedar Creek) in Wilson
County, Tennessee. The technical agency draft recovery plan includes
specific recovery objectives and criteria to be met in order to
downlist this species to threatened status and delist it under the
Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act) (16 U.S.C. 1533 et
seq.). We solicit review and comment on this technical agency draft
recovery plan from local, State, and Federal agencies, and the public.

DATES: In order to be considered, we must receive comments on the draft
recovery plan on or before November 14, 2005.

ADDRESSES: If you wish to review this technical agency draft recovery
plan, you may obtain a copy by contacting the Tennessee Field Office,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 446 Neal Street, Cookeville, Tennessee
38501 (telephone (931) 528-6481), or by visiting our recovery plan Web
site at <A HREF="http://endangered.fws.gov/recovery/index.html#plans
">http://endangered.fws.gov/recovery/index.html#plans</A>.
If you wish to comment, you may submit your comments by any one of several
methods:
    1. You may submit written comments and materials to the Project
Leader, at the above address.
    2. You may hand-deliver written comments to our Tennessee Field
Office, at the above address, or fax your comments to (931) 528-7075.
    3. You may send comments by e-mail to <A HREF="
mailto:timothy_merritt at fws.gov">timothy_merritt at fws.gov</A>. For
directions on how to submit electronic filing of comments, see the
``Public Comments Solicited'' section.
    Comments and materials received are available for public inspection
on request, by appointment, during normal business hours at the above
address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Timothy Merritt at the above address
(telephone (931) 528-6481, ext. 211).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    We listed the Spring Creek bladderpod under the Act, on January 22,
1997 (61 FR 67493). This rare plant, a winter annual, is restricted to
the floodplains of three creeks (Bartons, Spring and Cedar) in Wilson
County, Tennessee. It can be found in agricultural fields, flooded
pastures and glades, and disturbed areas. It requires some degree of
disturbance, such as scouring from natural flooding or plowing of the
soil, to complete its life cycle.
    Factors contributing to its endangered status are an extremely
limited range and loss of habitat. The primary threat is the loss of
habitat due to conversion of land to uses other than cultivation of
annual crops, such as the rapid commercial, residential, and industrial
development that is occurring throughout Wilson County.
    Restoring an endangered or threatened animal or plant to the point
where it is again a secure, self-sustaining member of its ecosystem is
a primary goal of the endangered species

[[Page 53809]]

program. To help guide the recovery effort, we are preparing recovery
plans for most listed species. Recovery plans describe actions
considered necessary for conservation of the species; establish
criteria for downlisting or delisting, and estimate time and cost for
implementing recovery measures.
    The Act requires the development of recovery plans for listed
species unless such a plan would not promote the conservation of a
particular species. Section 4(f) of the Act requires us to provide a
public notice and an opportunity for public review and comment be
provided during recovery plan development. We will consider all
information presented during a public comment period prior to approval
of each new or revised recovery plan. We and other Federal agencies
will take these comments into account in the course of implementing
approved recovery plans.
    The objective of this technical agency draft plan is to provide a
framework for the recovery of this species so that protection under the
Act is no longer necessary. Spring Creek bladderpod will be considered
for reclassification to threatened status when there are 15
occurrences: Five occurrences located within the floodplain of each of
the three creeks (Spring Creek, Bartons Creek, and Cedar Creek). These
occurrences either located on public or private land must be protected
by a permanent conservation easement with a management agreement. Each
occurrence must consist of an average of 500 plants over a five-year
period with no less than 100 plants in any given year.
    Spring Creek bladderpod will be considered for delisting when there
are 25 occurrences, with at minimum five occurrences located within the
floodplain of each of the three creeks (Spring Creek, Bartons Creek,
and Cedar Creek). Each occurrence either located on public or private
land must be protected by a permanent conservation easement with a
management agreement. Each occurrence must consist of an average of 500
plants over a ten-year period with no less than 100 plants in any given
year. As reclassification and recovery criteria are met, the status of
the species will be reviewed and it will be considered for
reclassification or removal from the Federal List of Endangered and
Threatened Wildlife and Plants.

Public Comments Solicited

    We solicit written comments on the recovery plan described. We will
consider all comments received by the date specified above prior to
final approval of the draft recovery plan.
    Please submit electronic comments as an ASCII file format and avoid
the use of special characters and encryption. Please also include your
name and return address in your e-mail message. If you do not receive a
confirmation from the system that we have received your e-mail message,
contact us directly by calling our Tennessee Field Office (see
ADDRESSES section).
    Our practice is to make all comments, including names and home
addresses of respondents, available for public review during regular
business hours. Individual respondents may request that we withhold
their home address from the record, which we will honor to the extent
allowable by law. In some circumstances, we would withhold also from
the record a respondent's identity, as allowable by law. If you wish
for us to withhold your name and/or address, you must state this
prominently at the beginning of your comments. However, we will not
consider anonymous comments. We will make all submissions from
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or
businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety.

Authority

    The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the Endangered
Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).

    Dated: August 17, 2005.
Cynthia K. Dohner,
Acting Regional Director, Southeast Region.
[FR Doc. 05-17977 Filed 9-9-05; 8:45 am]
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